June 18, 2020

In August 2019, Taiwan’s Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) signed a memorandum of science and technology cooperation with Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF) to encourage bilateral scientific research exchanges and cooperation between Taiwan and Sweden, so as to promote the flow of bilateral scientific research energy and build a bridge between Taiwan and “Nobel's hometown” Sweden.

Opening a new base for scientific research cooperation in Northern Europe

SSF was set up by the Swedish government but now acts as an independent foundation to support and strengthen the competitiveness in strategic research fields in science, engineering and medicine. By investing more funds, talents and R&D systems, it responds to the trend and fierce competition of international science and technology development. In 2018, for example, SSF subsidized research projects to the tune of more than M€75, providing that each project is to use 3% of the funds to develop and utilize research results. SSF has now established bilateral research cooperation with Japan and South Korea. As one of the 25 largest economies in the world, Taiwan also has a solid foundation for scientific and technological development and potential for innovation. Therefore, we should naturally obtain a strategic position in the cooperation between East Asia and Northern Europe, in order to increase our new stronghold in line with the international community.

TWD 250 Million will be invested in the SE-TW cooperative research projects

The Sweden-Taiwan Collaborative Research Framework Project has officially launched transnational call in August 2019, and received a total of 49 proposals of consortium for application. After the joint review by Taiwan and Sweden, 6 projects including 23 Swedish scientists and 14 Taiwanese scientists were finally approved. SSF will invest SEK 60 million (equivalent to about TWD 200 million) in the 6 research grants in the next five years. The research fields mainly include Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), Bioengineering and Materials Research. The grants from SSF could be transferred to Taiwanese participants up to 25% of the project funds. Acting in a spirit of cooperation between Taiwan and Sweden, MOST will also add on about MTWD 50 for Taiwan’s PIs of the 6 projects in order to encourage Taiwan's excellent researchers to actively participate in the project.

Taiwanese and Swedish elites work together to set an example of scientific research

This project is the first large-scale transnational scientific research cooperation between Taiwan and Sweden. Researchers from Taiwan's National Taiwan University (NTU), National Tsing Hua University (NTHU), National Chiao Tung University (NCTU), National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (NTUST) and National Central University (NCU) together with Sweden's researchers from Uppsala University, Chalmers University of Technology, the KTH-Royal Institute of Technology and Linköping University form 6 teams with the aim of studying. The two countries vigorously promote the important research by the bilateral teams in the fields of Solid-state anode-less lithium battery initiative, Antenna technologies for beyond-5G wireless communication, Highly scalable CMOS-integrated nanopore biomolecule sensors, A chip-size accelerator for material research and health, Advanced GaN devices for mm and sub-mm-wave communication, and Two-dimensional quantum optoelectronics devices. We hope that, on the basis of Taiwan's existing scientific and technological advantages, the achievements of this project will bring significant progress to the international community and human life, respond to the global demand for social change and sustainable development, as well as establish a new model for transnational scientific research cooperation.